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SOCIAL MEDIA

Snapchat Launches Creator Accelerator at 1 Billion Followers Summit 2026

DUBAI, 10th January, 2026 (WAM) — Snapchat has concluded its significant participation in the fourth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, the world’s largest event dedicated to shaping the content creator economy.

An extensive lineup of 20 sessions, workshops, and panel discussions, hosted at the dedicated Snapchat House within the summit’s venue, was designed to empower content creators by providing them with the tools, knowledge, and strategies to grow their audience, build sustainable businesses, and master the art of storytelling on Snapchat.

The fourth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit featured 580+ sessions and specialised networks, and hosted 15,000+ content creators and influencers, 500+ expert speakers with a collective following of 3.5+ billion, and 150+ CEOs and global experts. The event attracted over 30,000 attendees from around the globe.

Saeed Al Eter, Saeed Al Eter, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Projects and Chairman of the UAE Government Media Office, emphasised that the 1 Billion Followers Summit is continuously refining its vision and programmes, with the aim to elevate the content industry and cultivate talent by forging stronger partnerships with major global platforms. Al Eter described the Summit’s fourth edition as a turning point in its history.”

Al Eter highlighted the crucial role social media platforms play in empowering content creators, enabling them to scale their businesses and drive positive change within their communities, noting that this role is fuelled by the vast potential of new technologies and the growing use of artificial intelligence.

Antoine Challita, UAE Country Head for Snap Inc. in MENA, said, “The UAE has positioned itself as a global hub for the creative and digital economy, with creators playing an increasingly important role in shaping culture and storytelling. What we’re seeing across the region is a shift toward more intentional, culturally grounded content, paired with a growing focus on building long-term value. Snapchat’s participation in the 1 Billion Followers Summit reflects our commitment to supporting this direction. Through initiatives like the Snap Accelerator Program, we focused on equipping creators with the skills, tools, and understanding needed to grow responsibly, strengthen their storytelling, and turn creativity into sustainable opportunity on Snapchat.”

Snapchat places a major emphasis on nurturing talent through its flagship initiatives, Snap Accelerator Program, which featured ten dedicated sessions during the 1 Billion Followers Summit, designed to guide emerging creators through every stage of their journey.

The sessions were led by a team of Snap experts including Ali Alshehri, Talent Partnerships Manager for MENA; Aya Kalouti, Talent Partnerships Manager for MENA; Reem Matloub, Snap’s Content Partnerships Manager with over 17 years in digital media; Mashael AlBelaihed, a Junior Talent Partnership Associate focused on fashion and beauty; Naif Alqumaizy, a Junior Talent Partnerships team member managing sports and travel creators; and Ahmad Fares, the Creator Education Senior Specialist leading Snap School across MENA.

Complementing this was Snap School, offered across four sessions and teaching creators best practices for using the platform. Snap School sessions featured insights from Mashael AlBelaihed, Naif Alqumaizy, and Ahmad Fares.

A series of keynote sessions, conversations and panel discussions focused on the business of content creation. A fireside chat titled Breaking Through with Content explored how creators can cut through the noise, featuring Snapchat’s Reem Matloub and Ahmad Fares.

Another fireside chat focused on turning connections into collaborations, guiding creators on how to work with brands authentically. Titled Creators & Brands: Turning Connection Into Collaboration, it featured Samer Lahoud, Snap’s award-winning Head of Creative Strategy for MENA; Heidi Felfella, a Senior Creative Strategist for Creator Marketing with over a decade of experience; and Rami Saad, Co-Founder & CBO of Halo AI and a seasoned digital media ecosystem builder.

In Building Brands, One Snap at a Time, creators learned how to build a real business on the platform. This practical panel discussion featured speakers including Angelo Di Sotto, Client Partner at Snapchat with over 18 years in digital strategy; Mayowa Tola-Voss, Client Partner at Snapchat with a 12-year track record in digital advertising; and Shadi Abdel Malek, Snap’s Business Development Manager with 15 years of experience at top tech companies.

A keynote session titled Building your Public Profile on Snapchat by Majd AbiAli from Snap’s EMEA Sports and Media Partnerships team covered the essentials of bringing a brand’s personality to life on Snapchat.

The Summit also featured unique, creator-led sessions that offered personal insight and inspiration. Comedy Over Coffee marked Snap’s first comedy-led creator session in MENA, delivering an entertaining and humorous take on the creator journey, led by Mohamed Helmy, a rising star in Arabic stand-up comedy and founder of HelmyMan Events.

An intimate fireside chat titled The Female Lens: Where Authenticity Shapes Empowerment explored how female creators are building powerful communities and turning creativity into opportunity. The conversation featured successful content creator Sara Al Wari alongside Snap’s Reem Matloub.

The 1 Billion Followers Summit, organised by the UAE Government Media Office, took place from 9 to 11 January 2026 at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, DIFC and the Museum of the Future, under the theme ‘Content for Good’.

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Elon Musk ‘Mounjaro face’ draws scrutiny in comparison photos

In 2022, Elon Musk embarked on a weight-loss journey that saw him shed 30 pounds in a few months. While the billionaire implemented some lifestyle changes to aid in his weight loss, he revealed later that year that he had gotten on GLP-1 drugs to help him achieve his goals. With that help, Musk achieved his transformation and was able to maintain it.

But he couldn’t escape all of the side effects of rapid weight loss. Looking at pictures from 2020 and 2025, we can see that the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has some of the signs associated with Ozempic face. His cheeks have acquired the sunken look that has become the hallmark of the phenomenon. His eyes also appear considerably more hollow post-weight loss, while the skin around his mouth has become a bit looser. However, Musk seems happy with his slimmer self despite the negative effects on his face.

In December 2024, Musk shared a photo of himself ready for Christmas to show off his weight loss. “Ozempic Santa,” he captioned the tweet. However, he went on to reveal that his caption wasn’t entirely accurate, as he was among the high-profile figure who had bad experiences with Ozempic. “[It] made me fart & burp like Barney from the Simpson’s,” he tweeted, explaining in another tweet that Mounjaro Santa just “doesn’t have the same ring to it.” Musk seems proud, and that’s what matters. 

Before jumping into his weight-loss quest, Elon Musk had fallen into a series of bad habits that made him pack on the pounds. One of them was his morning routine. Musk was into the habit of checking his phone as soon as he opened his eyes. Because he runs two massive companies, something always inevitably came up in the hours he was asleep. So Musk started working right away, before even taking a drink of water. “I want to change that,” he said on the “Full Send” podcast in 2022.

Musk wanted to implement a morning workout routine to help him get in better shape. It’s unclear whether he found a way to include exercise into his busy routine, but he made dietary changes. “I’ve been fasting periodically & feel healthier,” he tweeted in August 2022. He also shared he used the intermittent fasting app, Zero, to help him stay on track.

Musk was able to lose weight without apparently putting an end to his workaholic ways. “Back to working 7 days a week and sleeping in the office if my little kids are away,” he tweeted in July 2025. That doesn’t mean he thinks working all the time is healthy. In fact, he accompanied his tweet with a video in which he discussed the effects of his schedule. “It hurts my brain and my heart,” he said.

Nicki Swift

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Suspicion over US influencer’s Zanzibar death

Ashly Robinson, a US lifestyle influencer, died last week while on vacation in the Tanzanian islands of Zanzibar with her boyfriend, Joe McCann. Robinson’s death on 9 April, just days after her birthday and a marriage proposal from McCann, has sparked suspicion on social media, with users doubtful of the current narrative surrounding her death.

No arrests have been made, and police previously said that McCann was not suspected of wrongdoing. But officials in Zanzibar released a statement on Tuesday saying that McCann’s passport has been “withheld”.

Robinson’s family is seeking answers into her death. The visit was supposed to be “one of the happiest of trips”, according to a statement the family issued on Sunday. Instead, Robinson was “found unconscious in her villa and taken to hospital, where her death was confirmed hours later”.

“Nothing about this loss feels real,” the statement reads. “One moment she was celebrating love and life in truly Ashly fashion, and the next, she was gone. The suddenness, the unanswered questions, and the distance from home have made this tragedy even more overwhelming for our family.”

According to the BBC, Robinson’s parents said they had heard from McCann 11 hours after the incident that is thought to have led to her death, though with not much detail. He told them at the time that Robinson was OK. Later, Zuri Zanzibar, the hotel at which they had been staying, informed the family that Robinson was dead. The hotel told the BBC that it was cooperating with authorities and the US embassy. The family told TMZ that McCann had not reached out since the initial call.

The confusion around her death grew from there.

Initially, Zanzibar police reported that Robinson, 31, had attempted to take her own life, according to the local outlet Mwanachi. Zanzibar’s North Unguja police chief, Benedict Mapujira, said that the couple had a misunderstanding that led to hotel management splitting them into different rooms – something the hotel did not confirm.

Local police, as of Tuesday, maintain that McCann is not suspected of wrongdoing.

“We cannot take legal action or detain him under these circumstances,” Mapujira said to Mwananchi.

CNBC

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SOCIAL MEDIA

More and more men are getting cosmetic procedures

Not long after Leonardo DiCaprio walked the red carpet as a Best Actor nominee at the Oscars a few weeks ago, the internet was buzzing about why the ’90s heartthrob suddenly looked so good again. Some liked the 51 year old’s new moustache, but many agreed that the actor’s face appeared slimmer, making them wonder if he’d dabbled in cosmetic treatments.

“I didn’t see any telltale signs of any plastic surgery,” said Dr. Asif Pirani, a plastic surgeon at Toronto Plastic Surgery Center. “I just think he’s leaned up and looks healthier, and so his jawline is more defined.”

That there was so much speculation about surgery is indicative of a larger cultural shift. From 2018 to 2024, the number of surgical procedures performed on men increased by 95 per cent worldwide, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Less invasive treatments such as injections and laser therapy rose even more, with a 116 per cent increase over the same period. Regardless of whether DiCaprio is taking part, it’s clear that many men are – famous or not.

The rise is something Pirani has personally observed. When he first went into practice in 2012, men made up less than five per cent of his patient population. Now, it’s at least 10 per cent. Pirani sees younger men seeking Botox and injectables, but he also noted a surge in more mature men requesting facelifts, neck lifts and eyelid surgery. “You’d be surprised,” he said, referencing the middle-aged professionals he treats who are feeling under pressure because they’re competing with younger men at work.

Opinion: Looksmaxxing: A Gen Z boy’s reply to anti-male bias

Heather Widdows, a professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick in the U.K. and author of Perfect Me: Beauty as an Ethical Ideal, attributes this shift to the pandemic. “Those powerful CEOs might have looked in the mirror for five minutes in the morning and then they probably didn’t look at themselves very much again,” she said. “Then suddenly when they were doing their businesses online, they looked at themselves all the time, which completely changed their sense of self.”

Of course, this phenomenon isn’t exclusive to men – they’re simply the latest demographic for which plastic surgery is becoming normalized. “We’re seeing them aspire to more unrealistic and impossible ideals, like the kind of thing that women have been doing for a very long time,” said Widdows, who cited social media as another contributing factor. “We’re now seeing men be ashamed of their appearance and feel like they’re failing.”

The same trend is playing out in Hollywood, where stars such as Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper have recently drawn attention for their changing looks. Gosling appears to have had filler injected into the central mid-face, according to Pirani, a common procedure for replacing volume, but when it’s injected in the face centrally in a man’s face rather than along the cheekbone, the result is “a rounder, more feminine face.” This bloated appearance is likely what tipped people off that Gosling was dabbling in cosmetic work.

With a greater number of famous men submitting to cosmetic procedures, it’s no longer unusual for them to face the same kind of scrutiny and criticism that high-profile women do. Whether it’s Cooper sparking suspicion he’s had upper eyelid surgery or the recent appearance of an unrecognizable Jim Carrey at the César Awards in France giving rise to a conspiracy that an impersonator showed up in his place, online chatter about men’s faces is increasingly commonplace – and frenzied.

The pressure to preserve a sense of youthfulness is also the result of all genders today looking younger than they ever have. At 62, Brad Pitt is not how many envision or expect a man of his age to look. Gradually, that ends up normalizing the idea that an older-looking face is not how we are supposed to look.

“You can see how the norms flip,” said Widdows, “and we end up thinking that aging faces are disgusting and unhygienic because of that gradual shift.”

What’s also changed is that this kind of beauty work is no longer seen as unmasculine. “I think we’re moving away from that,” Widdows added. “Work on the body now is conflated with health work and well-being work, and that now includes aesthetic procedures.” Even though, she noted, they’re not really about health at all.

The Globe and Mail

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